Don't Clause a Scene

by R.J. Peterson

Kristopher Putman is in a bind. He’s agreed to spend a week on a family cruise just before Christmas, but he’s led his parents to believe he’s seeing someone when, in fact, that’s not the case. His best friend Izzy concocts a plan to convince a waiter at their favorite restaurant to be his boyfriend for the cruise.

Andrew Wolfe likes waiting tables, but when Izzy and Kris ask him to be Kris’s boyfriend for a week, he finds it hard to refuse. When else is gonna get a chance to go on an all-expense paid cruise?

Gabriel, the bar waiter at the LGBTQ meet-up senses something isn’t quite right between Kris and Drew and when Drew spills the beans on what’s really going on, Gabe uses his matchmaking skills to bring help. Rather than cause a scene, let’s make love happen. can he help them fall in love?

Synopsis is subject to change prior to publication.

Genres: Holiday

51 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 2023

About the author

R.J. Peterson is a retired graphic designer.

He is an avid reader, preferably while sipping a vodka martini or some bourbon on the rocks. RJ’s had a long and varied career, including library page, car wash attendant, customer service representative, interpreter for the deaf, travel agent, and graphic designer in the marijuana industry. He also worked in banking for twenty-five years. In addition to starting up a writing career, he still works as a freelance designer, creating book covers and other items for several authors.

RJ loves to travel and has been on 50+ cruises. When not on a cruise, he and his husband live in New England.

Reviews

[T Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whimsical cruise for the holidays. This cruise line has a knack for bringing couples together and this excursion is no slacker. These two m/c’s may have started out playing a part but as luck would have it and it isn’t long before we see a HeA in the future. A short story that’s easy to read with a sweet ending. I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book.

[Lelyana's Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review soon

[Babara-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A FAKE BOYFRIEND MATCH MADE!

““A good friend is like a four-leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have.”
-Irish Proverb

This is the third book of the series aboard the cruise liner for the Christmas holidays.

Gabe is at it again but in this story he is the catalyst to bringing Andrew a waiter and Kris one of his customers together….

Kris needs a fake boyfriend to take with him for his family’s Christmas cruise- little does he know his best friend Izzy has a plan while they visit their favourite café the Sage Bistro…

A family cruise, Aperol Spritz cocktails and a matchmaking bar waiter will entertain and enthral!

““That’s what families do, Kris. We rarely cause a scene, and we always take care of each other.”

I look forward to our matchmaking bar waiter Gabe at last- will he find his match?

I voluntarily received an ARC from GRR for an honest review.

[Anne Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, let me say I got this book from gay romance reviews, and this is me leaving my honest review.
I’ve got to say this is a really cute heartwarming third book in the series. And in this one, we are on a cruise and Gabe is up to his tricks once again. You see Christopher has gone on a cruise with his family. The problem being is his family believe he is still dating Paul and at the moment he’s single. Thankfully his best friend Izzy find him Drew. Who is a waiter where they go to lunch, and he agrees to be his fake boyfriend.
How will it turn out??
This is a cute short read that will leave you happy with a smile on your face. I do wish there was a little bit of excitement in the book, but it was heartfelt .
I must admit I’m looking forward to the next book where Gabe will meet his match.

[Rebecca Grove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kris has a big problem that his best friend Izzy is trying to help him with. Kris is scheduled to go on a Christmas cruise with his family but they are expecting to see him with a boyfriend. Kris had lied to his parents about his new boyfriend because he didn't have a boyfriend. Now his parents expect to see him come on the cruise with this mysterious boyfriend. His friend Izzy believes that Kris should bring a fake date on the cruise. She thinks that Andrew, their waiter is the perfect candidate especially since Kris has a crush on him. To Kris' shock Drew agrees to go posing as his boyfriend. Even though they act out a relationship pretty well, bartender Gabe can see through them. He does his best to convince the two to try a relationship for real.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

This was another great addition to the series, it was a cute, sweet and short fake relationship story.

This one is about Kristopher who has to go on a Christmas cruise with his family who think his boyfriend will join him. What they don't know is that he's been lying to them about that so his best friend Izzy suggested he brings a fake date on the cruise. She thinks that their waiter Andrew is the perfect candidate. To Kristopher's shock he agrees to be his fake boyfriend. They have an instant connection and with help from Gabe, the matchmaking waiter, they become more.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

🍹🍸Cute, short, quick burst of heat🛳

A nice, easy, fake boyfriend trope MM romance on a week's holiday cruise, it's very brief so missing depth or character development. But I liked the idea of the friend who concocted the fake boyfriend scheme for Drew and Kris back home in Boston, and icebreaker Gabe, their friendly cruise bar waiter; Gabe's perfect employer would be The Love Boat! Upbeat serendipity in a 30 minute read.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the story; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Kris needs a fake boyfriend to go on a family cruise before Christmas, his best friend asked waiter Drew if he would be interested. After consideration, Drew agrees, attracted to Kris and seeing if things might go somewhere. Kris is interested, but self-conscious about pursuing anything, so it is up to ship’s waiter Gabe to stir the pot, so to speak. Short, sweet tale of two guys finding each other with a little help from family, friends, and Gabe. Fun holiday read.
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.

[C.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The magic of Gabe, strikes again. Kris, is strongly encouraged to join his family on the holiday cruise. He needs to come up with a plus 1, quickly since he may have told his family he's been dating. Andrew is persuaed, to step up and be who Kris, ultimately thinks he should be. They have an instant connection and with help from Gabe, the matchmaking bartender, Kris and Drew are able to explore their attraction to each other. A nice sweet, hot quick story that wraps you up in sweet ahssss. Nicely done, hot cover art! I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jeanette Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this third book in RJ Peterson's series, Gabe, the bar server, gets a little help from the main character's sister and cousin. It's a fake boyfriend and then strangers to lovers type story. Sweet in a romcom-ish way. Best of the series. The next book is Gabe's book as he gets his love. I didn't read the blurb, but I'm betting it's bartender, Theo.
I received an advance copy of the book. This is my honest review.

[Ida Umphers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun read where Gabriel the bartender works his magic on two cruise passengers. This time it's Kristopher and Andrew. They've come aboard under the guise of boyfriends, when actually Andrew is a waiter and Kristopher's favorite restaurant and he's been invited only because Kristopher has been lying to his family that he has a boyfriend. The usual attraction blooms and with a bit of help, these two end up with something real.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another good addition to the series, this one is about Kris and Drew who are on a cruise with Kris’s family but they’re fake boyfriends but neither realise that they both actually would like it to be real with a little help from Gabe the matchmaking bartender they get together, again my only complaint would be I’d love for the epilogue to be further into the future but again good enjoyable holiday story.

[Shana_Bobana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the fake relationship trope and it worked really well here. Kris has been lying about being in a relationship but Andrew is the perfect guy to pretend to be dating. They are both attracted to each other, and it’s not hard to convince his family they are together. Since this is a novel their relationship progresses very quickly, but that works for a love story primarily set on a cruise. I enjoyed this series so far and I am looking forward to Gabe’s story.

[Elizabeth D · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes. There’s not a lot of time in this short story, but we get the core elements of fake dating: the somewhat ridiculous premise, close calls and meddling, only one bed, and real feelings developing. It was fun to see these two realise there could be more between them.

I received an ARC from GRR. This is my honest review.

[Lisa Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd short story in this series, and so far it's my favorite. One of the things I wanted more of in the previous 2 was seeing Gabe actually matchmaking. There was a bit more of that in this book. I'm looking forward to reading Gabe's story next.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always lovely when a fake relationship turns out to be real. Kris is in desperate need of some help as his mom thinks he has a boyfriend and will be going on the family cruise. Izzy is the best friend that knows just what to do. Enter Drew the fake boyfriend. And then there is Gabe the matchmaker extraordinaire. This is another cute novella just in time for the holidays.

[Linda A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick and easy read.
The matchmaker on board the ship is working his magic again.
The recipients are Kris, who's family have organised the trip and Drew, the local waiter who happened to be in the right place at the right time.

I recieved this book from GRR.
This is my honest review

[Rebecca Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drew & Kris are just the sweetest, their family and friends are great too. They start out pretending but realize pretty quickly there is something between them with the help of a certain bartender and things become pretty real for them. They got such a sweet ending, I can’t wait for the next book. ❤️😀

[Raven and Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fake dating on a cruise ship…talk about being trapped if things go sideways. But that is exactly what Kris and Drew are trying to pull off. It’s a good story. Don’t blink or you will miss it. Our favorite waiter Gabe is still playing matchmaker and these two men needed a bit of a shove in each other’s direction. It ends as you would expect but it makes a nice escape from reality.

[Julie Bedwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of books is amazing fun. This story is Kris and Drew's cruise vacation that includes a little meddling from a bar tender on board the ship. I like seeing Kris and Drew together. These books are quick reads but lots of fun. I have so far enjoyed each book and looking forward to the next one.

[Bridgette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short, fast read in this series about love on a holiday cruise. This was the third book but they all stand alone. The story was good, fake relationship to real. Kris brings Drew on a family cruise as his fake boyfriend but they very quickly discover a connection. This is a really fast read, enjoyable read!

[Denise GremoryKohta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Sometimes the fake boyfriend trope doesn’t work but here it did perfectly. This series is such a perfect read for Christmas. With the cruise and Gabe connecting all the stories, it’s been a blast to read. Drew is adorable. Kris was funny. I think Izzy and him both have a bit of drama in them. I was given an arc from GRR and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

He told his parents he was dating and now it has come to bit him on the bum when his parents expect him to bring them on the cruise. Now he needs to find a fake boyfriend and fast, the waiter at the restaurant may just be the right way to go. How will it go? Will it just be fun? What if feelings get involved? How will it end? Follow them to find out

[Bkwrm24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kris and Andrew ❤️

3.5 Stars ⭐️

Another adorable connection on this cruise line ❤️ These short stories are very sweet with a touch of heat and a ton of holiday cheer, I'd recommend. I can't wait to see if our favorite match maker gets his HEA too.

* I received an ARC from GRR, this is my open and honest review *

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in a short series of books where the MCs go on a cruise and fall in love.
This story is about Kris who needs to find a pretend boyfriend to take on a cruise where his mom is paying and has told her he is dating.
Drew is a local waiter who agrees to go as Kris's fake boyfriend. Its not long before the 2 start to fall in love.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute addition to this series. Kris is going on a family cruise. His friend Izzy gets a waiter Drew to accompany Kris as his "boyfriend." Once on the ship, Gabe gets up to his old tricks again by getting them to realize that they have real feelings for each other. I can't wait to see Gabe's story in the next novella.

[Malia Winger · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories are a perfect quick reward for completing holiday chores. This story features the fake boyfriend trope. Kris finds himself in need of a boyfriend decoy for his family holiday trip. His best friend Izzy nominates Drew, a waiter at their favorite meeting spot. This is uncomplicated low angst fun!

[Mrs.V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute fake-boyfriend story.
Another cruise-based Holiday story where a farfetched plan to have a fake boyfriend for his week-long family cruise brings Kris a very real boyfriend in Drew. Short, cute and sweet, I am loving these stories!

[Amanda Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another really nice book in the SEAson's of Love series. This is a short story of Kris and Drew who find love on the Ocean Voyager with a little help from Gabe, the on board unofficial love matcher.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a sweet charming little story about cruisin' around on the high seas. I have enjoyed all the books so far in this series. They are all light but wonderful and full of happiness. I have adored them. This one is no different. Enjoy these books, they are totally worth it.